The invention relates to a compression sleeve for enshrouding a blood vessel or a vein valve area.
Weak tissues in a human body, in particular blood vessel tissue, will lead with increasing age to significant vessel expansions. This effect is particularly prominent when a body's valve systems in the blood circuit are expanded to such an extent that they do not work any more properly as unidirectional valves (check valves or flow control valves) so that backflow occurs at the valves and the blood vessels are exposed to additional internal pressures loads.
Without treatment, this effect results in the formation of varicose veins. Such veins are first formed by a widening of the blood vessels particularly in weak or resilient tissue areas or vessel walls. As a result, also the vein valves in the body for example in the area of the pelvis may expand and, in time, these valves generally fail. Finally, enhanced by the gravity, blood backup occurs resulting in further pressure exposure and further expansion of the veins, particularly in the legs. The dilation of the veins results first in varicose veins and finally in open legs.
These symptoms are treated by the use of support leggings which surround and compress the leg so that a counter pressure to the blood pressure is established and the blood vessel tissue stresses are relieved. However, the functionality of the vein valves of the body is not restored thereby.
For a lasting or preventative treatment of varicose veins however, it is important that the functionality of the veins and the vein valves is maintained or re-established. To avoid a dilation of veins or vein valves, it is necessary to reinforce the dilated vein tissue.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,014 discloses several embodiments of a support sleeve for blood vessels which are all tubular. As a result, for the installation of the sleeve, the blood vein has to be threaded through the vein that is, it first has to be cut. Furthermore, the support sleeves disclosed in this patent are not designed for growing rapidly together with the tissue of the veins.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a compression sleeve which can be implanted without the need for cutting the vein and which is basically suitable for rapid growth into the vein tissue.